Regardless of these problems however, Mask of the Betrayer is a triumph which should be saluted by all RPG fans, since it proves once and for all that “old school” RPG principles – wonderful story, interesting characters, great dialogues – which seem to have been forgotten by newer “RPGs”, are still as valid as ever.

Even so, Anno 2070 is one of the best titles released in 2011 and without equal when compared to other games in the genre. The three defining elements of the series (alongside the almost infinite replay value) – urban planning, commercial routes and opponent interaction – are now more complex.

It aims for deep unconscious fear, and not for the superficial Goosebumps. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but whatever the conclusion, Resident Evil 5 is surely the best nightmare of the year, one you can experience with your eyes wide open.

Fans of the Dark Ages will definitely get a nice playing experience, and for them as well as for the rest of the RTS fans, Medieval 2 can easily be considered one of the best games this genre has to offer.

One of the best arcade racing games ever. The quantity and quality of the options available to you, the level design and the freedom of movement, the cars and their handling through traffic, the details, all these make NFS: U2 a winner.

Despite the excellent technical aspects however, Battlefront ends up as a game without much of a soul, which without extra game modes or mods made by the fans will not last long in the multiplayer arena, where the battle is already heating up and where second place just doesn't cut it anymore.

Content wise, Guild Wars Nightfall is an excellent purchase for the Guild Wars community, but also for those who want to see why Guild Wars is so popular with MMORPG players who prefer competitive PvP gameplay above all else.

The complexity of the game is very natural, which is a side-effect of the producers desire to make the game as real as possible. But despite this, the complexity of the game doesn’t seem forced or overwhelming for a minute.

The overall result is excellent and probably this game together with "Rome: Total War" and "Warhammer 40k" represent the best of the RTS genre these days. Unfortunately, the system requirements proved too high sometimes, the AI had its bugs despite its quality, and this is why Battle for Middle Earth will not be one of the greatest RTS games in computer games history.

The concept is as bizarre as it is successful, the gameplay is well fleshed out, and I'll be totally honest and tell you that sometimes it's best to kid around, if only we'd be blessed with products such as this more often.

Mass Effect is without doubt the best Xbox 360 RPG at the moment. But we’re on PC market here, so it’s a bit more obvious that BioWare just wanted to test the waters a bit with its very own Star Wars brand. Not to mention that Mass Effect simply has too many alternatives on the PC.

For an add-on of only 9MB, Vae Victis added many things to a game already complex, with a learning curve that’s quite steep and not accessible to everyone. But those who will discover its secrets will be rewarded with a realistic and historical experience that will keep them glued to the computer for many hours on end.

At first glance, Half-Life 2: Episode One could be considered a simple add-on. But a closer inspection reveals that VALVe didn’t go down the classical "more monsters, more weapons" cliché, but instead opted to refine and fine-tune the already successful Half-Life 2 recipe, by combining monster types during combat, and introducing more puzzles and the „cooperative singleplayer” mechanic with the help of Alyx.

Even if it's not as complex as Tekken, and it doesn't have the online component of Virtua Fighter 5, with its top-notch graphic, captivating feeling and characters and fighting style diversity, Soul Calibur IV is without a doubt one of the best 3D fighters around.

For fans of the realistic tactical shooter genre, SWAT 4 is a definite must have, marking the rebirth of a series out of its own ashes. It was a 5 year wait, but trust me, it was worth every second of it.

Dungeon Defenders is quite addictive, but after you spend enough time, this attribute dilutes its fun factor, turning what was initially a tactical advance and collaboration effort into a repetitive farm meant to improve your attributes, gear and obtain achievements and mana.

Although I understand why BioShock 2 was made, I appreciate some ideas the designers had and acknowledge that it improves certain areas, I can’t help but feel that some of the magic was lost along the way.

It doesn’t raise the bar regarding the RTS genre’s standards and it doesn’t really come close to the existing ones, even though it does feature certain innovations over the previous titles of the series. Nevertheless, it’s a game with a solid universe for the background story, a large fan base, more than decent single-player campaign and, in regards to the graphics and sounds, it most certainly can go toe to toe with any RTS released in these last two years.